Accomplice
by multiply014
Summary: AU where there is no APTX, and the partner became the accomplice. [CoAi] [KaiShi]
1. First Meeting

Kid has many secrets, one of which is a secret Kudo Shinichi knew he should have known from the get go.

There were two of them. And he isn't dumb, of course he knows Kid didn't clone himself. But with the elevators not functioning, and Kid's appearance in the safe room, as confirmed by both Nakamori-keibu and the commotion on his earpiece, there can only be one answer: Kaito Kid has at least one accomplice.

And that's just a royal pain in the ass. He can barely manage to catch one Kid, an accomplice is a complication he isn't in the mood to face after running flights after flights of stairs to get to the rooftop, barely avoiding the numerous canisters scattered around for fear that Kid will know his aim.

Escape Kid (which he named so to differentiate the two Kids, the other being Thief Kid), dons the exact same gaudy getup. He's sitting on the ledge, back facing the door, head tilted up at the sky.

Almost as if he's bored. Shinichi feels just a bit affronted at that. After all, he did open the rooftop door and call out to Escape Kid. Unless Escape Kid is deaf? In which case—

"You're late," Escape Kid says in a velvety voice. A feminine lilt?

The detective was about to answer, but Thief Kid lifts himself over the ledge beside Escape Kid. Clearly, Escape Kid was not talking to Shinichi. Now standing straight on the ledge and fully facing the detective, Thief Kid takes the time to reply, "No, this is perfect."

Thief Kid smirks. Escape Kid stands up as well and sighs, "You and your theatrics," then proceeds to step over the ledge to free fall. Shinichi would have been bothered not seeing a wire or anything at all to support Escape Kid's stunt, but he's far too used to Kid's antics by now. The masses are not, though. Kid's fans take it in and cheer, and the media goes wild for a Kaito Kid appearance.

Thief Kid breaks the brief silence as he eyes the jewel he just stole in the moonlight, "I see you've met _me_."

"An accomplice, really? You should have known better than to drag others down with your crimes, Kid."

Kid teases, "Don't be mad, detective, _I_ 'm just really shy. I'm pretty sure _I_ didn't mean to offend you. Maybe."

None too pleased, Shinichi plainly taunts, "The police are coming up here, you have no escape."

"You underestimate _me_ , detective," he smirks and turns his back as he looks down from the ledge. Thief Kid continues, "I don't think you'd understand, but there are impossibilities that cease to be when you aren't alone."

Quirking an eyebrow at his confidence, Shinichi replies, "I'm not alone. The entire police force will catch you tonight. Justice is with me."

"And I have my partner. That's more than enough for me. Don't you find it funny, detective? The police force you keep saying will catch me is nowhere to be found." He winks, "that's cause _I_ am a genius."

"What do you m—"

"This," Kid effectively cuts him off by placing a very familiar canister on the ground. "Don't worry, it shouldn't cause anything but drowsiness. _I_ made sure of that."

Almost like falling to a trance, Shinichi abruptly feels the lethargy he must have staved off while running on adrenaline. Thief Kid's monocle glints in the moonlight, and the detective swears the smile he has on his face is different—proud, with a hint of fondness, and still very much annoying.

"See you soon, detective. Pray you don't get to meet _me_ again," Shinichi drops to his knees and struggles to fight away sleep, of all things, and he can't concentrate. He can still hear the victorious note on Kid's voice though.

" _I_ cost incredibly expensive to bring along after all..." Shinichi swears he heard the thief mumble as he prepares his hang glider.

The last thing he hears is a big sigh before everything cuts to black.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N** Happy ShinAi Day, everyone!_

 _This isn't really ShinAi, but I wrote this chapter to start off my **31 Days of CoAi** project!  
_ _\- Check out my Tumblr blog for very short fics I will be posting daily from 4/2 to 4/30!  
_ _-_ _If you're interested in my ramblings about the CoAi fics I've written, I'll be talking about them one at a time daily from 4/1 to 5/1!  
_ _-_ _And, finally, on 5/1, I will be posting One Chilly Morning, which is the third chapter to One Rainy Afternoon, to end my 31 Days of CoAi project…_

 _This month will be a ride, for sure! As much as I've expressed how incredibly painful preparing this project for me is, it has been loads of fun for me to express my love for CoAi, and in such a grandiose manner too!_

 _I think I consider this project my love letter to CoAi. I'm a sucker for the romantic, sorry, haha!_

 _I hope everyone enjoys it, too, to the very end!_

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"This is the fifth time you hit me, detective!"

As what's becoming usual between the two of them, Kudo Shinichi ignores Kid's complaints as he chases Kid across a maze of hallways and stairways, this time in the TV station building where Kid nicked the showpiece in live broadcast.

The way this Kid is much more talkative tells Shinichi the thief he's been chasing for the past heists is Thief Kid. _Only_ Thief Kid.

And that pisses Shinichi off more than he'd like. Is Thief Kid thinking he can just pull off whatever he wants against _him_ without the assistance he's _particularly_ proud of?

Shinichi can't deny Thief Kid _did_ manage to escape last time. And the other time. _And_ that other time, _too_. But that's in the past. The present is much more important because _in the present_ he's been leading Thief Kid into a dead end and he's been wonderful in cooperating so far.

Yes, a dead end that does not include rooftops, nor windows and, even, vents.

All this while kicking various office property at Thief Kid that he swears is necessary for him to be able to lead Kid into his setup. Yes, all necessary. He can't help that he has just that good aim since he's just that good at soccer, and that Thief Kid can't dodge completely right?

As Thief Kid leaps to the right after Shinichi kicks a trash can to his left, smoothly going into the room Shinichi has been steering him into since the chase began, he shouts, "Will you stop being so violent if I answer one question of yours?"

Shinichi enters the room in a beat, and excited as he is with his plans falling into place, he doesn't even think before he asks, "You're alone this time?"

In the middle of the room, Thief Kid is stunned into silence for more than a second, and Shinichi feels seeing the expression is so gratifying... until Thief Kid laughs. As much as Shinichi wanted to remain unaffected, the corners of his mouth turn down, uncontrollably, to an unmistakable grimace.

They stay like that for a short moment, Shinichi blocking the only exit to the room and Thief Kid cackling while holding his sides, in full of view of the unamused detective in front of him.

Thief Kid, after laughing for a good while, wheezes, "...That's it? That's the question?"

Shinichi's scowl grows deeper in reply.

Thief Kid, as chatty as he's proven to be these past heists and as shameless as Shinichi had always assumed him to be, continues, "Are you trying to pick me up? Or are you trying to pick _me_ up?! Oh, another misguided youth, you wouldn't be able to handle _me_! To be honest, the safer option is to fancy the good ol' me in front of you! Oh, but then, dear, why so violent! You must be gentle when courting! That must be why you're still single, detective..."

Not even bothering to focus on whatever nonsense Thief Kid has been spouting, Shinichi backs up a few steps to end up just outside the doorway, and proceeds to kick the bin nearby in a perfect trajectory to Thief Kid's incessantly babbling mouth.

Thief Kid deftly sidesteps to avoid the projectile, all the while dramatically intoning, "Whoa, whoa, detective, keep that up and you'll chase me away! I'm not an _M_ , really, I'm actually pretty vanilla! I prefer the traditional way of courting—"

With a snappy kick to the top of the bin that had fallen off, Shinichi manages to hit him right on his arm this time, and Thief Kid yelps, "—Ouch!"

"Hey! Ok, ok, I'm alone today! Tch!"

Seemingly soured by _another_ arm injury, Thief Kid throws a familiar canister hard on the spot on the floor between the two of them almost petulantly—but Shinichi is prepared. He quickly wears the mask he had Hakase make and rushes Thief Kid.

He's just four—no, three big steps away from Thief Kid, and then he feels a prick right smack in the middle of his forehead. He feels his senses fade, and the foot he had raised in an effort to take an even larger stride to handcuff Thief Kid lands on the floor without strength, and he falls, face down.

"This is going to cost me big..." is what Shin hears over the hissing of the cloudy white gas from the canister, which is evidently not the sleep gas he had been preparing for.

The last thing he hears is a big sigh before everything cuts to black, and it _frustrates_ Shinichi that he knows exactly why this feels like déjà vu.

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When the next Kid heist comes around, Shinichi's face is set to such a grim expression that even Nakamori-keibu is apprehensive about going near him, much less ask him why.

Shinichi doesn't notice the dark aura arising from him though. He's mentally going through his plans and their preparations, watching the clock as the seconds tick closer and closer to the announced time.

Still, whatever his plans and how intricate they may be, Shinichi certainly didn't expect that before the heist has even started, he'll find himself blacking out already.

And out cold he is, with a handful of seconds to spare before the clock rang out the time.

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As soon as Shinichi regained consciousness, his resentment overrode his survival instincts and, without even taking note of his state and his surroundings, he immediately forces out the words, "Is this a thing, you rendering me unconscious?"

"Hit him again and I'll make sure you won't be able to move a single limb for a week," is what he hears before he can even regain his focus.

It's _that_ flat voice, familiar in its tone, at the same time unfamiliar due to the high, decidedly feminine, pitch it now has, that responded to him.

It's _him_ —or _her_ , _Escape Kid_. Shinichi feels a bit of pride, being able to force _both_ Kids to act against him.

But then again, he can't exactly gloat right now since there's a dangerous intent emanating, not so much dripping killing intent, but enough menace to know Escape Kid fully intends to go through his threats.

And he can't even lift his head nor open his eyes yet to see just where he's been dragged off to.

Quite possibly, and correctly, expecting him to stay silent in his disorientation, Escape Kid continues, "I trust you're smart enough to understand with just _one_ warning, detective. Because _I_ only warn _once_."

Shinichi hears a rustle of clothes and shuffling of feet, and he deduces that Escape Kid is about to leave. Escape Kid stops a moment though, and Shinichi hears them say, "And. Not that he'd need _me_ to outwit _idiots_ … but he's not alone. So since you aren't any help, stop messing with _us_. Else—"

"—You'll knock me out at every heist. How very imaginative of you, and how very unlike a criminal," Shinichi croaks, with as much ridicule as he can, cutting them off as he struggles to sit up, tied up as he is.

" _So noble_ ," he continues, hoping it drips with as much sarcasm as he intended that to have. He can finally open his eyes a bit, the light flooding his sight, surprisingly, since he expected to be locked in a dark room, even when he's managed to open them in just tiny slits.

"Clearly I'm the villain here, and it's Kid, _innocent_ Kid, who must be protected at all costs—" Shinichi stops suddenly when he manages to successfully lift his head and he finally sees his kidnapper: brunette—no, that's not the right shade—locks, mostly hidden by a black cap, tied in a low ponytail, in a black bodysuit and tight-fitting black pants, with a plain tactical belt laden with pouches, boots securely tied, eyes that, though blocked by the cap, he can _feel_ literally and figuratively looking down at him, a murderous looking smirk that chills his bones—

"Yes, yes, detective dear, I must be protected at all costs! I am the clearest, most precious, gem, the purest white pearl of the deep blue sea, the _paragon_ of _innocence_! I'm just _a kid_ after all!"

The room that had dropped several degrees in temperature returns to normal the moment Thief Kid started his boisterous entrance. Shinichi turns his head to see the familiar gaudy white outfit, cape swishing as if to emphasize his unending droll claims to virtue.

Upping the level of absurdity, Thief Kid, hands on his hips, goes on to say, "On the other hand… _you_! I was wondering where my persistent _suitor_ was and I go and find him _cheating_ with _you_!"

Escape Kid's smirk had long gone from her face. Now a small amused smile has taken its place, as she says, "I knew he was your type. You would never have put up with him otherwise."

"Hey! I missed you too, don't be jealous now... After all," Thief Kid clears his throat, " _I'm not alone_ , right?"

"… _You_..!"

"Heh, the queen has issued her decree! By her majesty's orders, I can be injured no more!"

"… Calling you a birdbrain would insult the birds, really…"

"If her majesty would give me her hand, I would love to whisk her away from this dull and gloomy place, very unfitting of her personality as bright and sunny as—"

"Shut up. Let's go, _idiot_."

"Aye! By your leave, madame!"

Shinichi finds that he doesn't have the words to describe what he'd just been audience to, except, maybe, a romcom skit starring a brazen flirt and an overprotective tsundere..?

Thief Kid's voice blasts through his thoughts though, as he calls out, "Hey, I just saved you from _the devil_ 's wrath; you owe me one, detective!'

Shinichi, having done nothing but lie down then sit in who knows how long, finds himself feeling incredibly tired already throughout the whole affair. Since he still can't move his arms and legs, he can only reply, "I _owe_ you. _Really._ "

In contrast to Shinichi's I-might-as-well-be-lying-in-a-ditch-since-I-can't-do-anything-like-this mood, Thief Kid is in high spirits, answering in an almost too-bright tone, "Was that your attempt at sarcasm? Anyway, yep, you do! You really wouldn't want to know what she can and _would_ do. See you! Someday, maybe, you can make it up to me and her royal highness. Until then, you're in my debt!"

Shinichi feels this the most radiant he's ever seen Thief Kid, even as he scrambles out the door, shouting after Escape Kid...

… Leaving him with a temporarily paralyzed body, bruised ego, confusion, and, if he's being honest, keyed up anticipation over the next heist.

Except he's not being honest, so he settles for annoyance and curses both Thief Kid and "her royal highness" under his breath.

 _I only warn once, your ass._

 _You owe me, your ass._

Meanwhile, two figures escape with the stolen scepter, unbothered and uninjured.

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 _ **A/N** I posted this ahead of its scheduled post counterpart on Tumblr, since I don't think I'll be online later!_

 _Check out my profile here or on AO3, or the **31 Days of CoAi** series on AO3 for a better formatted information on my project!_


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